Continuing with Cuisenaire rods beyond Miquon?

[Megbo]

My 7yo and I have been using Miquon from the beginning, and are about to begin the final book in the series. I have to admit that I was disappointed to read the "after Miquon" threads, which confirmed that there isn't a published curriculum that serves as the perfect follow-up for Miquon. Because that would be too easy.  :001_rolleyes: 

 

Cuisenaire rods have been absolutely perfect for Ds7, and I'd really like to continue using them after we finish Miquon (around Christmas?). He struggles with language, and the rods both suit his learning style and allow me to see how he’s solving the problems, which can be difficult for him to explain. We do use rods to solve problems from other sources, but all of the concepts have already been covered in Miquon. Even after 2.5 years with Miquon, I don't feel confident in my ability to just pull out the rods and teach him. I'll need a plan.

 

I would love to hear if anyone else has continued using Cuisenaire rods after Miquon, or into upper-elementary math if you used the rods without Miquon? What programs/resources have you used, and how have you made it work?

 

Right now, I'm leaning toward using a published/formal curriculum (likely Singapore or MEP) and just using rods to introduce each new concept. Anything else seems like it would be extremely time-consuming on my part. 

 

I've found a number of resources for using Cuisenaire rods in upper elementary (I've included some early elementary ones to keep them all in one place), but haven't purchased any of the books yet. 

 

Education Unboxed

Gattegno Textbooks & Gattegno Workbooks (I haven’t seen a US site selling the workbooks, or any samples of them)

Mathematics Made Meaningful

Using Cuisenaire Rods - A Photo/Text Guide

Idea Book for Cuisenaire Rods (Primary) & Idea Book for Cuisenaire Rods (Intermediate)

The Super Source Cuisenaire Rods Grades K-2, Grades 3-4, & Grades 5-6 

Using Cuisenaire Rods: Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication and Division, Geometry and Measurement, Fractions and Decimals, Probability and Statistics, & Patterns and Algebra

Addition and Subtraction with Cuisenaire Rods

Everything’s Coming Up Fractions with Cuisenaire Rods Book

Spatial Problem Solving with Cuisenaire Rods

From Here to There with Cuisenaire Rods: Area, Perimeter and Volume

 

[scoutingmom]

Make sure you look up algebra blocks.... I think that is what they are called....

 

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[Kiara.I]

Does Mortensen use rods?

 

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[sbgrace]

I don't have a curriculum follow up suggestion.

 

However, I used a couple of resources on your list. I used Education Unboxed to guide me in using c-rods for certain topics in our Math In Focus/Singapore.

 

But I'm replying because I used Everything's Coming Up Fractions, and felt it really helped visualize and understand fractions. 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

We used them constantly with Singapore.  

 

I even pulled them out once this year for a lesson in AOPS Pre-Algebra.  

 

When I'm not sure how to present a concept with rods, I look it up on education unboxed and then we're good to go!

[MistyMountain]

I have used Gattegno as a supplement and I think it is similar to Miquon just in a different format with a little bit more instruction. I do think it goes a little farther so it would be hard to know where to start with it after doing all of Miquon. I do wish Miquon went farther because I like the format of how you can follow a thread or work through a book. Gattegno is available on Amazon cheaply if you want a print version and even the whole thing is available online for free. After using all of Miquon though that is a good foundation with discovery aspect and the rods if you wanted to just use the rods with curriculum.

 

I have been using the rods along with Signapore using Education Unboxed to watch how to introduce concepts. I plan on doing the same with MEP for another child.

Edited August 20, 2017 by MistyMountain

[Megbo]

Does Mortensen use rods?

 

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I believe they use a different type of rod, closer to MUS style. 

[Megbo]

I have used Gattegno as a supplement and I think it is similar to Miquon just in a different format with a little bit more instruction. I do think it goes a little farther so it would be hard to know where to start with it after doing all of Miquon. I do wish Miquon went farther because I like the format of how you can follow a thread or work through a book. Gattegno is available on Amazon cheaply if you want a print version and even the whole thing is available online for free. After using all of Miquon though that is a good foundation with discovery aspect and the rods if you wanted to just use the rods with curriculum.

 

I have been using the rods along with Signapore using Education Unboxed to watch how to introduce concepts. I plan on doing the same with MEP for another child.

 

I've spent some time looking through the Gattegno books, and I'm also not sure where I would start after Miquon. The topics seem to be presented in such a unique order that it almost seems impossible to jump in or to skip around. Do you use the workbooks, or just the textbooks?

 

I'm encouraged to hear that several of you have had success using Education Unboxed to introduce the concepts with Singapore - I think that's most likely where we're heading. I haven't used Education Unboxed since we got into our groove with Miquon, so I'll have to take some time to check out Education Unboxed more carefully before deciding whether I'll need to pick up any printed resources. 

[sbgrace]

 

I've spent some time looking through the Gattegno books, and I'm also not sure where I would start after Miquon. The topics seem to be presented in such a unique order that it almost seems impossible to jump in or to skip around. Do you use the workbooks, or just the textbooks?

 

I'm encouraged to hear that several of you have had success using Education Unboxed to introduce the concepts with Singapore - I think that's most likely where we're heading. I haven't used Education Unboxed since we got into our groove with Miquon, so I'll have to take some time to check out Education Unboxed more carefully before deciding whether I'll need to pick up any printed resources. 

 

 

It really wasn't hard to match Education Unboxed w/Singapore. She's got them organized well by topic. As an aside, I went there to make sure it's still what it was when I used it and noticed she has Algebra stuff--off to see if we might be using our c-rods again in 8th grade! 

[Zoo Keeper]

We liked Everything's Coming Up Fractions, and Roddles: Games and Puzzles to Measure Thinking Skills by Dickens and Sellon.  The Roddles book came with a booklet and cards that had different levels of logic type puzzles.

 

C-rods meshed very well with Singapore math HIG's.--and with MEP math as well.   The rods were the only thing that made the process of long division make sense for one of my children.  He had to use the rods for *each and every long division problem* for a number of days.    That visual and physical aspect was what made it click for him.

[Megbo]

We liked Everything's Coming Up Fractions, and Roddles: Games and Puzzles to Measure Thinking Skills by Dickens and Sellon.  The Roddles book came with a booklet and cards that had different levels of logic type puzzles.

 

C-rods meshed very well with Singapore math HIG's.--and with MEP math as well.   The rods were the only thing that made the process of long division make sense for one of my children.  He had to use the rods for *each and every long division problem* for a number of days.    That visual and physical aspect was what made it click for him.

 

Thank you! The visual and physical style of learning math is exactly what works for Ds. I was the type of kid who memorized algorithms and then figured out how and why they worked, especially for topics like long division and performing operations with fractions. Hmm. I should probably go ahead and buy Everything's Coming Up Fractions...